Flowtown

How to Spot an Instagram Junkie

Jennifer Dancy — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:22:18 +0000

4 Ways to Make Instagram Work for Your Small Business

Jennifer Dancy — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:23:59 +0000

With the popularity of social media and people sharing everything, it’s no surprise the free phone app Instagram has become a wildly popular way to share photos. Although it’s primarily used among smartphone owners and consumers to document their daily activities, businesses can also tap into Instagram’s popularity and utilize the app to reach their customers on a more intimate scale.

1. Embrace the New Visual Trend

Numbers speak louder than words, and the numbers confirm social media users like images in posts. A study conducted by Facebook analyzed journalists’ pages and found posts with images were much more popular than posts without them. Photos received 50% more “likes” from viewers than text posts, and journalists who shared links with a thumbnail image got 65% more likes and 50% more comments than posts without photos. (These findings likely prompted Facebook to purchase Instagram for an impressive $1 billion.)

So how can you benefit from Instagram? First, simply using it shows you’re ahead of the curve, gaining interest from customers and respect from professional contacts. Anytime you plan to post on social media, consider how an Instagram photo might be used to tap into that visual audience. Have a new product? Take a nice close-up and write an intriguing caption. Test different filters, snap different angles, and consider what aspects of your business are conducive to sharing visually. (But don’t worry, customers aren’t expecting you to be a professional photographer—just take interesting pics.)

2. Use Geo-Tag

Whether you’re at a convention or in front of the office, make sure to geo-tag the uploaded images to give followers an easy way to map where the photos are being taken. This is especially useful if you are at a professional event or if you want to try a virtual scavenger hunt with your client base (followers who are at the conference can physically find you). To use the feature, tap the green checkmark once you take the photo and click “Enable Geotag.” Afterward, click “Location” and pick your location option.

3. Involve Followers

Invite your followers to post their own Instagram photos of your business product or service, then retweet those images to create a sense of community among the business’s followers. This can work for a variety of businesses, from manicurists to dentists to even auto mechanics, and is a fantastic way to strengthen your relationship with your followers and show others your best work.

4. Be Real

It’s important for businesses to realize the growing Instagram trend and capitalize on it, but it’s also important to be authentic. Users don’t want to see Instagram images they can tell are obvious advertisement tactics; they want to see visual proof of a company they’re doing business with. Most importantly, they want to see that there are real people behind the product. Avoid only posting photos of brand logos or your storefront, and mix in some interesting images of an office ping pong game or a funny piece of wall art in the executive suite hallway.

Take a tip from Nic Adler, who runs LA’s famous venue The Roxy. Adler started an account for the venue after seeing fans snap photos using Instagram. Now the venue has more than 7,400 followers. ”The Roxy posts all kinds of photos now, including art, scenery, and funny thing we come across, while sprinkling in pieces to promote our shows,” Adler told Instagram. “The best thing you can do for your business on Instagram is show people why they should get to know you.”

Do you use Instagram for your small business? Tell us how you make it work for your business in the comments below.

Dine and Dish: Are Social Media and Food the Perfect Pairing?

Jennifer Dancy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:15:20 +0000

4 Ways to Make Timeline Work For Your Business

Jennifer Dancy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:56:28 +0000

Businesses that use Facebook to build brand awareness, sell products, and gain new clients will have to adjust their pages now that Facebook has converted them to the Timeline format. The good news is these changes can actually help fine-tune their promotional methods and increase social media visibility, all of which will result in more sales and an increase in new customers. Here are our tips to make the new Timeline work for your business.

1. Choose a Strong Cover Photo

Facebook has significantly changed the rules for cover photos on its business pages. Businesses can no longer run a strip of photos across the top of their pages. Instead, they must feature one large image that measures 850 pixels by 399 pixels, along with a 30 pixel by 30 pixel profile picture.

Note that your cover photo can’t include any calls to action, so don’t add messages such as “Like Me,” “Share” or “Contact Us.” Instead, choose a nice, focused image (that fits within the dimensions) to make your first impression professional and impactful. The photo should be reflective of your brand and business: showcase your company culture, your industry, or your satisfied customers. Avoid a boring image of your logo for your cover photo—the profile pic box is the best place for that.

2. Control What Content Your Visitors See First

Timeline now lets you pin stories to the top of your Timelines for up to a week. This means you can control what you want fans to read and interact with. The one-week expiration may seem a nuisance, but it is actually good. It gives you more reason to create more fresh content, which is the key to engaging and sustaining a relationship with your consumer base. Note, however, that only posts created by you may be pinned.

To really draw attention to a post, you can also highlight it, which will make it span across your Timeline. To do this, click the star icon in the upper right corner of the post.

3. Highlight Your Apps

Facebook has eliminated the default landing tab, a function upon which many business owners have long relied. Now, however, you can more prominently feature your apps (12 in total, though only 4 will appear at the top of your page). You can change the photos that appear for each of your featured apps, rearrange positions, and rename the app so that it provides a call to action. Note that the more visually appealing your app photo, the more fans will be enticed to click.

4. Monitor Your activity

Facebook has also changed the administrator panel, which places all of the stats you want and need—a list of who’s talking about your posts, who’s interacting with your pages, and what content they’re viewing—in one easy-to-find location. This gives you the ability to better analyze your stats and engagement, and adapt your activity accordingly.

Many of these changes reflect a move toward sharing more visually and dynamically. This is essential to grow your business. As Kevin Olivieri, global social media analyst with TIG Global, notes, businesses that hope to utilize Facebook to its fullest potential will have to focus on providing great content. This means that businesses will have to learn more about what their fans want and what they want their brands’ Facebook pages to do for them. Luckily, Timeline for business pages enables you to do just that.

Do you think Timeline will help your business? Tell us how in the comments below.

The Many Faces of the Internet User

Jennifer Dancy — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:00:48 +0000

8 Rules of Pinterest Etiquette

Jennifer Dancy — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:54:11 +0000

ohmeaghan

Pinterest has become the social media star over the last few months, now reaching 16 million users worldwide, according to Google Ad Planner. The virtual pinboard site is the next platform marketers need to take advantage of.

But as with other social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, Pinterest comes with its own code of etiquette. If you violate certain rules, you risk becoming a virtual pariah—and that’s a marketer’s nightmare. Follow these tips and pin like a pro.

1. Source Images Properly

Sourcing the original link is the unspoken cardinal rule of Pinterest. Whenever you find and post an image to Pinterest, make sure to include a link back to the original source. For example, don’t link back to Google Image if that’s where you found a picture of the perfect flower arrangement. Instead, link back to the florist that created it. It’s only fair to the original creator and to your followers.

You can also help the community ensure these rules are followed. If you find an improperly credited source, Pinterest recommends leaving a comment so the original pinner can update the source.

2. Don’t Trick Users Into Following Incorrect Links

Unfortunately, some dishonest users have embedded incorrect links with their images so that when a follower clicks on an image, they’re redirected to an unrelated website or blog (giving the site extra page views and, as a result, extra income). This is a major marketing no-no and a surefire way to lose followers. Instead, make sure you are only linking to relevant content.

3. Write a Full Caption

Make sure you write a descriptive caption for each image you post. This is a courtesy to your readers, and a chance for you to describe why they should click on the link. However, avoid very advertorial captions. Pinterest is more about authentic communication, not a way to push ads into the community.

4. Don’t Become a Pin Addict

It’s fun to post to your virtual pinboard, but you don’t have to post every single thing you find (especially if it greatly strays from your brand image). Quality is key in the digital world—and what Pinterest followers love most. Don’t go pin-crazy if you want to keep your followers.

5. Think About Who You Want to Share With

If you synch your Pinterest account with your other social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook, everything you pin will be shared with your followers on those platforms. These updates can be considered a major nuisance, so carefully consider whether your pins are worth sharing.

6. Don’t Be Stingy with Interaction

Like all social media sites, Pinterest works best when users communicate with each other. And the more you give, the more you get. You don’t have to engage in a ton of communication, but a nice, short acknowledgment of a comment or liking someone else’s pin will keep a goodwill vibe going.

7. Always Be Respectful

The Pinterest community is about sharing the things you like. For that reason (and for the obvious fact that it’s a public forum), you should always communicate kindly and respectfully and avoid negative interaction, both in what you post and what you comment. Do not insult others or use unprofessional language.

8. Report Objectionable Content

Pinterest appreciates users who contribute and make the community a better place. No one likes to be a snitch, but sometimes it’s appropriate to report objectionable or offensive content (according to the Pinterest Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policy). To report something, click on the pin, then click the “Report Pin” button that pops up in a sidebar to the right of the image.

Pinterest has become the social media star, so start pinning and connect with your consumer base, but remember to keep it professional.

Are there any Pinterest etiquette tips we missed? Let us know in the comments below.

5 Reasons Why You Should Schedule Your Tweets

Jennifer Dancy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:01:50 +0000

zugaldia

Social media is now one of the most important parts of any marketing strategy, with Facebook and Twitter being the most prominent platforms and a great way to continually promote your brand. But for a small business, managing the day-to-day operations can be a full time job, so it can be a challenge to stay active and engaged. With Twitter, it is important to tweet, retweet, reply, mention, promo, and direct message—and that’s just on one social media platform! Luckily, tools like Timely help you automate tweets, which is an effective ways to maximize your time and social media presence. Here are five more reasons why scheduling your tweets is a no-brainer.

1) Save Time

With so much to do and think about, tweeting throughout the day is likely the last thing on your mind. Scheduling your tweets allows you to spend a few minutes prepping everything you want to say, and the rest of the day taking care of business.

2) Get More Exposure with Less Effort

Not only can scheduling your tweets save time and effort, Timely also schedules your tweets for maximum exposure. Have an important announcement that you want to save for peak hours? No problem. Want to make sure followers in different time zones get the message at the right time? Done.

3) Give Your Audience a Break

Not only is scheduling tweets useful for you, you’re also doing a good deed for your followers. A clogged feed of back-to-back tweets can annoy your fan base and maybe even cause some of them to drop off. But spacing out your tweets throughout the day offers well-paced interaction that keeps them engaged.

4) Craft Your Message

Staying relevant on Twitter is often confused with posting a lot. In reality, as with many things, quality over quantity wins out. Scheduling tweets lets you craft thoughtful content that contributes to your larger brand goals, rather than just tweeting for the sake of tweeting.

5) Increase Your Social Presence

If you’d like to be more active on Twitter but your posts are sporadic and irrelevant, scheduling tweets will help solve that problem. Not only will you create a consistent presence, you will also help your overall social reputation. Scheduling tweets can help increase your Klout score, which gauges how much influence you have in the social sphere.

At the end of the day, scheduling tweets is a great way to minimize effort and maximize results. So do yourself—and your followers—a favor by taking advantage of the tools at your disposal.

Do you schedule tweets? Tell us how you like it in the comments below.

In Peer Reviews We Trust: Consumer Reviews vs. Other Ad Tactics

Jennifer Dancy — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:04:35 +0000

Your Checklist For Running Facebook/Twitter Contests

Jennifer Dancy — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:20:39 +0000

eyals

Social media is a great tool that allows you to interact and engage with your customer bases. Even better, using platforms like Facebook and Twitter to run contests or promotions is a highly effective way to establish your brand, reward your customers, generate sales, and build an ongoing relationship with your larger network. This means that if you’re not running contests already (or not running them correctly), you may get left behind.

Why You Should Run Contests

If you have been thinking about running a contest or promotion but haven’t done one yet, now is the time. Since Facebook and Twitter are the most socially used media platforms, we would recommend starting there. Facebook has 845 million monthly active users, and Twitter has over 100 million. But more specifically, Facebook reaches about 44 percent of all Internet users on a daily basis and Twitter reaches about 8.6 percent of all Internet users daily, according to web analytics company Alexa.com. What does this mean for you? That means you have the attention of a lot of people, each and every day. By using social media to send out promotions, you not only get to interact in a meaningful way (by offering them something they want and encouraging participation), you will likely gain new fans — it’s the best of both worlds.

Running a simple enter-to-win contest, offering discounts to those who promote to friends, or showing off your sense of humor by encouraging creative submissions are all great ways to interact with your customers. However, before you plan to run the promotion, verify that it complies with both Facebook and Twitter contest guidelines. Use these checklists to ensure you are following the rules for every promotion.

Contest Checklist for Facebook

Facebook emphasizes that it is up to you to ensure any contest or promotion you are running is legal, in addition to meeting the following guidelines:

Promotions must to be run though Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or an app on a Page Tab.
Each entrant must release Facebook of any liability.
You must acknowledge that the contest it is no way associated with Facebook.
Participants must know and acknowledge that they any information given for the contest is given to your business, not Facebook.
Facebook’s tools can’t be used for the contest, meaning you cannot encourage participants to enter by “liking” a page or using check-in. You also can’t require them to use FB features to be eligible (e.g., no requesting photo uploads, likes, wall posts). And the like button may not be used as a voting mechanism.
The contest must have its own registration or entry form.
You can’t notify winners through Facebook.
Ads can’t imply that Facebook endorses or partners in any way.

Contest Checklist for Twitter

Twitter also has its own specifications regarding contests and promotions, including:

Verify that the contest or promotion follows all laws and regulations.
Discourage users from creating multiple accounts to enter the contest more than once — your account can be suspended if you encourage this.
Don’t ask for retweets for contest eligibility. Posting the same tweet repeatedly is against Twitter’s rules, and can result in followers being filtered out of the Twitter search.
Use current and relevant hashtag topics (not #contest or #companyname)—this can also violate Twitter rules.

As long as your contest complies with these specific rules, then you can get started. Remember, make the contests creative and fun to draw more people in. Maybe encourage them to submit photos, videos, or essays that include your product in use. Remember: the more engaging the contest, the better the results will be.

Do you run contests or promotions on your social networks? Tell us how they work for you in the comments below.

10 Tips to Master Twitter Etiquette

Jennifer Dancy — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:30:06 +0000

wboswell

Twitter has fast become a platform for businesses to share information, promote their brands, and establish thought leadership within their industry. But with 200 million tweets being sent out into the Twittersphere daily, it’s imperative that you strictly follow Twitter etiquette to avoid a faux pas that can alienate your customers and colleagues. Here are our top 10 tips to keep you popular on the Twitter playground.

1. Mind Your Manners

If someone mentions you or retweets your post, thank them. People like to be recognized for their efforts. Plus, it’s a great way to begin a Twitter relationship. This small gesture may open the lines of communication between you and a potential customer or business partner. Even better, return the favor and retweet one of their posts.

2. Resist the Urge to Tweet Too Much

Research has shown that there is a fine line between just enough sharing and too much. Don’t clog your followers‘ feeds with spam-like tweets. Remember that the best way to engage your audience is to post useful, interesting, relevant, and original content. Before you post, ask yourself: “If I was a follower, would I care about this?”

3. Use #Hashtags Appropriately

Hashtags are a great way to encourage participation and help others track and find information. But don’t over use them. Putting a hashtag in front of every word of your post will do nothing more than annoy your followers.

4. Watch What You Tweet

There have been some famous and embarrassing blunders on social media that have gotten individuals and even entire companies in a lot of trouble. Don’t use your brand’s Twitter account to discuss controversial topics, send inappropriate photos, or use explicit language.

5. Don’t Get Too Personal

Although developing relationships with customers is one the primary goals of Twitter, try to keep your posts about relevant business information. Your followers don’t need to know your personal business. However, if you’re getting married or a favorite employee just had a baby, you may want to share the news for your brand loyalists to celebrate with you. Carefully consider what is appropriate to share.

6. Write Professionally

Remember: your social media presence is an extension of your business persona. Proper grammar and spelling helps you maintain a professional image. (No one wants to see a law firm or accountant office tweet “OMG! Its not 2 late 4 u to file ur taxes!”). Be sure to use proper forms of commonly misused words like there, they’re, and their.

7. Be Aware of Your Audience

Tailor your content to fit your audience. If your brand is focusing on tweens and teens, speak their lingo. If you are a B2B company, consider using industry jargon. Be sure to post information that is relevant and timely to those following you and those you want to follow you.

8. Be Timely With Communication

If you’ve started a conversation with someone on Twitter, respond to them in a timely manner. More importantly, if someone poses a question to you, answer them! Social media is great for giving you an opportunity to engage immediately and directly with your consumer base.

9. Address Customer Service Issues Privately

Almost any customer who tweets you with a complaint or concern wants to be heard, but not all want to engage in a public dialogue. Directly address consumers through direct message, off the public “floor.”

10. Warn Followers if You’re Going to Tweet A Lot

So you want to live-tweet your product launch or charity run. That’s a nice idea, but you may lose more followers who feel assaulted by a barrage of tweets. A little fair warning will be much appreciated, and your followers will likely give you a pass for the day.

Twitter is one of the most effective marketing tools of the last decade. Follow these rules, and you’re sure to have many happy tweets ahead of you.

Do you have any other Twitter etiquette tips? Tell us in the comments below.